Near Misses
by TurquoiseGlobalAngel
Summary: Castle and Beckett have always been dancing on the edge but never crossing the line. A collection of stand-alone one-shots of all of Caskett's  infamous near misses. WARNING: This is chock-full of spoilers from Season 1 to Season 3.
1. Just Like That

_**Hi everyone! Ok, so this is my first fanfiction ever, and I'm still new to this. Just thought I should mention. Anyway, just to be clear, this is a collection of one-shots of alternate scenarios of the different 'near-misses' of Caskett's relationship. Again, this fic is CHOCK-FULL of spoilers, so I'm indicating the episode which the scene is based from.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. Plain and simple.

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1x05 "A Chill Goes Through Her Veins"

Castle bent his head down and peered over her shoulder to read Melanie Cavanagh's case file. Beckett froze, and sniffed his perfume. She snuck a peek at him and looked away quickly when she noticed that he was looking at her as well. They began to talk about the case again, Beckett getting a little more self-conscious.

Castle moved his head slightly so that he was even closer to her. "Some people just love the institution, hate the day-to-day." he shrugged. Beckett looked at him again out of the corner of her eye.

"Are you one of those people, Castle?" she said, turning her head and facing him. She raised her eyebrows and shot him a skeptical look.

He looked at her with mock seriousness. "Guess I just haven't met the right girl." he smiled and teasingly gave her a smoky look.

Beckett held her breath, trying hard not to get intoxicated by his scent. The extreme proximity was killing her, and she tried to lean back, but she felt Castle's hand touch the small of her back. She was cornered and had nowhere to go but forward.

So just like that, she kissed him.

And just like that, she felt the stress of the case wash away from her. Just like that, she forgot about the bustling precinct around her. Just like that, she felt the nine years' worth of pain melt away at his touch.

Just like that, she learned to love again.

Just like that.

* * *

"Whoa. Wonder what's gotten into her?" Ryan asked as they both raised their coffee mugs to their lips. They had both witnessed the scene that happened at Beckett's desk, and they were still in shock over it. After all, it did seem very un-Beckett like for her to just kiss people in public, let alone kiss _Castle_ in the _precinct_.

"Well, whatever it is, Castle sure seems to be enjoying it... check out the look on his face, bro." Esposito grinned, then, noticing a familiar figure in the back, propped his feet up on Ryan's desk and began talking about the Cavanagh case.

"Pssst! Hey!" Lanie rushed over to them as soon as Beckett's back was turned. "Did you guys see that?" she dragged them to the break room and closed the door, sounding almost irritated that both detectives were discussing it matter-of-factly. Both men nodded hesitantly, almost expecting her to scold them at any moment. As soon as they moved their heads, Lanie exploded.

"Well, why didn't you at least take a photo? That was a _once in a lifetime oppurtunity_, guys! It will never happen again!" she cried, pointing to Beckett's desk, where Beckett stood up and, slipping her hand in Castle's, made a beeline for the break room.

A smile slowly spread across Ryan's face. "Maybe it will."

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_**So… whaddaya think? I know it's short, but it's just a snippet of what could've happened during that scene.  
**_

_**Reviews are appreciated!**_

_**TGA, out.**_


	2. But He Didn't

_**Okay, first off, sorry for taking so long to update; haven't felt like writing much. Or maybe it's just my sched. But don't you guys worry, because I am BACK with a VENGEANCE! So, yeah.**_

_**Second, as an early Christmas treat, I'll be doing requests. I will randomly select ten requests from the readers (that's you) and I'll include them in this collection. If you want to see your near miss included, drop me a PM with the episode and scene it's from, and what you'd like to happen. I'll only be doing TEN, but they'll be spread out though the course of a month. Deadline is on January 17, 2011.**_

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2x13 "Sucker Punch"

"I've gotten used to you pulling my pigtails." Beckett said with a little smile. It was true; she didn't mind Castle joking around anymore. In fact, she actually _enjoyed _it. "I have a hard job, Castle, and… having you around makes it… a little more fun." There. She finally admitted it. She waited for Castle's reaction, almost afraid that she'd crossed a line, but at the same time expecting him to pull out another joke up his sleeve.

"Your secret's safe with me." Castle smiled and began to eat the food he'd brought. Beckett smiled back and followed suit, glad to have someone distract her from what had happened earlier that day. After they'd finished all the food, with the help of Ryan and Esposito, of course, they tossed the garbage away, and headed to the elevator.

As they both stepped inside, Castle said, "Well, Detective, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then." and pressed the button for the first floor. Beckett paused, and said, "Why don't you let me drive you home?"

Castle shrugged it off politely. "No, that's okay, Beckett. I'll just get a cab." and he added, "Besides, shouldn't you be getting rest? I know you've had a long day." Beckett almost grinned at that. It wasn't every day that Castle acted all gentlemanly towards her, and it certainly wasn't every day that he gave her an opportunity to rest, what with him doing _research_ every day. Against her willpower, she nodded. "Okay." then she added, "Castle?"

"Yes?" he said hesitantly. Beckett paused before doing anything. "Thanks. For… everything." she slowly went on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Castle immediately wanted to pull away, because he knew that Beckett would shoot him if she were in her right mind, but he let her kiss him. Not because he wanted to kiss her, but because she needed someone to lean on right now.

He wanted to pull away, because he knew that as soon as the elevator doors would open, _someone_ was bound to see them, and Beckett would never let him live it down.

He wanted to pull away, for all the reasons they weren't in a relationship yet.

He wanted to pull away.

But he didn't.

* * *

ME Lanie Parish tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the elevator doors to open. She needed to go up and have a small chat with Detectives Ryan and Esposito about their little scheme to set Rick and Kate up.

She heard the _ding_ of the elevator opening. _Finally._ she thought, and watched the elevator doors slowly part.

_Well, looks like our plan won't be necessary after all. _she thought as she saw Castle and Beckett jump apart. "Well," she said with a grin of satisfaction, "is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

Beckett flushed bright crimson. "Uh… Lanie, hi! Do we have another body?"

Lanie frowned. "You're avoiding my question."

"No, there's nothing going on." Castle intercepted.

"Well, by the looks of it, I'd say there was." Lanie said smugly, and looked at the clock. Ryan and Esposito were expecting her upstairs, so she said hurriedly, "Never mind, I can see that arguing _now_ would be useless. But you owe me an explanation tomorrow." she said and dashed into the elevator, pressing the 'UP' button. She smiled at the two, nestling a single thought in her mind.

_Ryan and Esposito are going to find this very interesting._

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_**Love it? Hate it? Have a violent reaction that you'd like to share? Send me a review.**_

_**PS: Thanks to all the people who've reviewed my first chap. I really appreciate it.**_

_**TGA, out.**_


	3. There Was Still Hope

_**Again, sorry for not updating for a while. Exams suck.**_

_**Anyway, it's finally our Christmas break, and yeah, I shall update more since there are no more annoying exams in the way.**_

**_This is kind of short, but enjoy anyway._

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3x09 "Close Encounters Of The Murderous Kind"

A tense silence was engulfing Beckett's car as it sat there, in the middle of the road, still and unmoving. Inside the car was Beckett herself, asleep on Castle's shoulder.

They both stirred as they remembered what had happened earlier. The bright light, the agents, the interrogation, the injectors… it all seemed distant to them, but it was a very real encounter neither would forget.

Beckett opened her eyes and almost jumped in shock when she realized where she was. She saw Castle's lap, afraid to look up. She weighed her options. She could look down, and wait for Castle to wake up. Look up, and risk being pulled in. She chose to take the risk and looked up.

When her green eyes met his blue ones, she regretted it immediately. He looked just as afraid to look at her as she was for him, but it was too late. They both couldn't move. They were frozen, neither wanting to cross the invisible line, but at the same time, waiting for the other to do so.

Finally, Castle closed the gap between them and pulled her in for a searing kiss.

No words were spoken; no sounds made. Just the two of them, kissing, moving, _being._ They stayed like that for a while, until they both realized that it was time for them to go.

On the ride back to the precinct, awkward silence was all they heard, ringing in their ears. They were both flustered by that kiss, and inwardly promised to never speak of that again.

That kiss wasn't just a kiss. It was a step; a step closer to that invisible line that is all that separates them. A line which, they will soon find out, does not exist. The line that they themselves created, yet are scared stiff to cross. But both knew that there was still hope for them.

There was still hope, despite the obstacles in their way. Despite all the interruptions, all the bad choices, all the near misses.

Despite their own doubts, their denials, their walls, there was still hope.

Despite everything, _there was still hope_.

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_**Hey, guys, please review and tell me what you think!**_

_**Still accepting requests (Check Chapter 2 for more info)**_

_**Anyway, as always...**_

**_TGA, out._  
**


	4. Starting Now

_**First off, I just want to thank you all for your reviews. Really, it makes me happy, knowing that you guys find my little one-shots entertaining.**_

_**Secondly, I would just like to let you guys know that this is the first request I've written. I've actually been planning this before you guys asked for it, but anyhow, here it is.**_

_**Third, sorry about the little Esposito thing down there. If you don't wanna read it, you can just skip it. It's right after that line… thingy…**_

_**Fourth, please, please tell me if I did this scene any justice at all. I didn't make it too graphic, because my parents would absolutely murder (metaphorically, of course) me if I did.**_

_**Requested by **__**mobbs fellow and **__**Cora Clavia**__**.

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1x06 "Always Buy Retail"

"And that means you owe me." Castle grinned cleverly, holding up the glass of wine.

Beckett stood a little straighter, skeptically looking at him. "Owe you what?" she asked smugly. She took a step closer to him.

"Whatever I want. And you know…" he whispered, stepping toward her.

"…exactly…" he bent his face closer to hers. She chanced a peek at his lips. A part of her wanted him to kiss her, but a little voice in her head told her _Why would he do that_? Another part wanted to just grab him and kiss him, but she was afraid of his reaction.

"…what I want, don't you? You know what I really…" Kate was staring to get nervous, but she stood rooted in place.

"…really…" they were only an inch apart now.

"…want you to do." his breath fanned across her face. She couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and smashed her lips on his.

Castle, of course, responded eagerly, seeing as that was what he was about to do anyway. For a few minutes they just stayed like that, their lips glued together.

Castle was the first one to pull apart and Beckett immediately tensed. _What if he'd slap me? What if he'd leave and never come back? God, I am so stupid. I shouldn't have done that._

Beckett spoke first. "So."

"So…"

"So, where does this leave us?" she hesitated. She may not be able to take the answer.

"I don't know. If you'd rather forget that, we'll never speak of that again. But if you'd… you know…" he trailed off, hoping she'd get what he was trying to imply.

"If I'd… what?" she asked, hopeful.

"If you'd want to go out maybe once in a while we could…" he trailed off again.

She laughed, then kissed him again, this time softer. She was extremely surprised at seeing this side of him. "I'd love to."

They both smiled at each other, then Castle said, "Starting now?" he held out his arm. Beckett took it eagerly.

"Starting now."

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Hidden in the dark, Detective Esposito could see _everything_. He could watch from the shadows and not be seen at all. In fact, he always used this disappearing act of his to spy on people. And that was exactly what he was doing right now.

Spying.

On _them_.

He could almost _see_ the looks on Ryan and Lanie's faces once he'd tell them. _They are going to be so jealous_, he thought. Better yet, the looks on _Castle and Beckett's_ faces. Now _that_ would be priceless.

_Okay, so I'm a little fanboy crazy right now, _he admitted to himself. _But hey, all's fair, right?_

He became so engrossed in his thoughts of Castle and Beckett that he didn't notice Castle and Beckett _themselves_ walking towards him until they were right in front of him.

"Hey, Esposito, what'cha doin'?" Castle said, waving a hand over his face.

Beckett turned her head towards Castle's. "Why, Castle, I believe he was _spying_ on us." she pulled out her cell phone.

"Spying, huh? Tell me, Detective Beckett, what the penalty for that is." Castle smirked a little at Esposito's sheepish face. _So much for hiding_. Esposito thought.

"I'd say a little _payback_ would be extremely appropriate given, of course, the circumstances." Beckett pressed her phone to her ear. "Yes, Lanie, hi…" she walked off, not wanting Esposito to overhear their conversation.

"So, Detective, how's a little _chat_ with Dr. Parish sound?" Castle smirked again. He was still amazed at how _Lanie_ could make a guy like _Esposito _whimper.

Esposito tried to keep his composure. "Pretty good, actually." _Bluff. Lanie's gonna kill me, not for spying on her best friend, but for __**getting caught. **_He silently cursed whatever force brought the two to his hiding spot and added, "I needed to talk to her, anyway, so…"

Castle's face dropped for a moment, then he said, "Yeah, well, mind if we add a little something _extra_ to your visit to the morgue?" Esposito gulped and shook his head. "No, n-not at all, dude. Not at all."

Castle patted his friend's shoulder. "Good." he grinned and stalked off in Beckett's direction.

_Good._ Esposito thought weakly and headed for the elevator. He heard his phone ring, and he picked it up without looking at the caller ID, as he usually did. He cursed again as soon as he pressed the button, but it was too late.

"Javi, what's this I hear about _spying_?" Lanie said sweetly on the other side of the line.

"It's nothing." he tried to keep his tone casual, but as usual, Lanie could see right through him, or rather, _hear_ right through him.

"And what's this I hear about_ getting caught_?" As the car neared the ground floor, he began babbling about what he saw. When the elevator doors fell open, however, he fell silent.

There, standing right in front of the opening elevator doors, was none other than ME Lanie Parish.

He was officially screwed.

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_**Not my best chap, IMO. But what about yours? Did I do this scene any justice? Any at all? Haha hopefully I did. Review and tell me how much you loved/hated this chap. And why. A reason would be great, too…**_

_**Okay, sorry again about the Esposito stuff… I'd planned a short cutscene but It just dragged on… it's actually longer than the Caskett scene. I like it, though. Shines the spotlight on the Espo/Lanie ship. Hmm… I might write a new fic centered on them. Can't promise anything, though…**_

_**By the way, have you guys heard of the little spoiler that's been circling the web lately? No, not the Caskett one, the other one. I'm not gonna say anything, but I just think that it would be good to keep the spotlight away from Caskett. At least for a while, anyway.**_

_**TGA, out.**_


	5. Enjoy The Moment

_**Hey guys! Merry Christmas to all of you!**_

_**Here is another fanfic that someone requested, this time from Anatomy Of A Murder. I really loved writing this, and I hope you have fun reading this, too! This one-shot had so many ways it could go, and I decided on one scenario I hope you all enjoy. This one has more Caskett in it and again, hope you like it.**_

_**Also, I have no idea if the precinct elevator has a camera, but in the story, it does.  
**_

_**I may not be able to update for the next few days, since I'm going on a trip and as far as I know, there is no Internet service there, so… yeah.**_

_**Requested by mobbs fellow.

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3x05 "Anatomy Of A Murder"

"Don't worry, Castle, I'd get you out."

Beckett's words echoed in Castle's mind as they walked to the elevator together. As they both stepped in the empty elevator, Castle scooted close to Beckett and took her hand.

"Castle…" she gasped. She was shocked, but she didn't let go or pull away yet. She knew that he only did things like that when he's about to say or do something serious. A wave of panic washed over her. _What if something happened to Alexis? Or Martha?_

The worry washed away as soon as Castle read her expression. "Don't worry, no one's hurt. I just wanted to say thanks for what you told me back there. About the prison break thing."

"Oh, no big deal. I meant it, though. Just don't get yourself in trouble so I wouldn't have to resort to that." she laughed. She was shocked, however, to see that Castle wasn't smiling at all.

"You know, my mother once told me that being willing to break someone out of prison is true love. You think that's true?" he asked casually, as if he were just talking about the weather or baseball. Beckett's grip tightened on Castle's hand, which she was still holding.

"I don't know, Castle, I mean, your mother isn't exactly known for her little insights." she said, chuckling. She tried not to take it seriously, even though she knew exactly what Castle was implying.

Castle's face fell at that. _She thought it was a joke. I should've known not to bring it up._ he thought, disappointed. He let go of her hand.

Beckett smiled, seeing the reaction she expected. She continued on. "But… your mother _has_ been known for giving good advice every now and then." She took Castle's hand again, and took the risk at the same time.

Castle smiled, and said, "So do you think that that was just one of her little insights, or good advice?"

"I'd say that was good advice, considering what Greg did for Amy. And look at them now." she smiled, trying to watch Castle's reactions again.

"And do you think her 'good advice' was directed at… us?" he said softly, then regretted it. He hoped she wouldn't hear it and just keep talking about the case. Or Greg and Amy. _Anything, as long as she didn't hear that._

_Ok, Kate, I guess it's time. Time to let him know._ Beckett told herself. "Well, that depends on your reaction."

"Reaction to what?"

"To this." Kate kissed him gently, then pulled back to see his reaction. He smiled, then kissed her back.

As they both kissed, Kate made a mental note to go and thank Martha for her words of wisdom. One day, she'd come to accept Martha's wisdom fully. One day, she'd come to realize that her future was with Castle, and that she wasn't going to let him get away this time.

But for now, she just let him kiss her, and enjoy the moment.

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Martha Rodgers stood behind Alexis as she was scanning Martha's MyFace Account. Martha'd do it herself, except for the fact that she was hopeless with computers. She asked Alexis to pause at her private messages. "Hold on, kiddo. I've got a message."

"It's from Detective Ryan. _Good evening, Mrs. Rodgers. Detective Beckett's team would like to thank you for whatever you said to your son, Richard, about prison breaks and true love. That statement really made a lot of things happen. Attached is the video of what you made happen. Again, most sincerest thanks, Detective Ryan. _Let's see it." Alexis played the video.

That night, as the video was being spread to all the detectives at the 12th, Martha received many thank-yous and requests for her to be their life coach.

_Well,_ she thought as she sifted through all her mail, _looks like business is back.

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_

_**Soooo? Didja like it? Hope it was better than my last chap; that one, I wasn't fond of much.**_

_**Anyway, please leave a review and tell me what you think. **_

_**Also, thanks for all the reviews for my previous chapters; they really helped me know what you guys thought.**_


	6. He Liked It, Too

**_HAII GUYS! First of all, I am so incredibly sorry for being late! (And since it's summer here in my country, I'll have more time to write!)To make up, I bring you two one-shots I hope you like them!_**

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2x06 "Vampire Weekend"

"You smell like cherries."

Kate almost gasped at this. She knew that Rick was hot for her, but she didn't really mind. The fact that he noticed her _scent_ did shock her, though. She turned her head to tell him off for that (even though she sort of _liked_ it), but before she even uttered a word, she saw his face.

And she fell silent.

Her emerald eyes darted to his bright blue ones, then to his lips. Castle, seeing that, decided not to waste the opportunity.

He placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her.

Kate was about to pull away and slap him for kissing her in the precinct, and she raised her hand to do it, but put it back down. She remembered all the reasons she put up with him, all the reasons he was still there, and all the reasons she liked his being there, and realized that she didn't care that they were in the precinct at all.

The world flashed by the two. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, Ryan and Esposito gawking at them. In fact, she though she saw a whole group of detectives bunched around the doorway, just watching them. But that just stayed there, locked in a passionate embrace.

And Kate realized that it didn't matter anymore. As long as they were there, _together_, the world didn't matter.

But her vision ended in a split second as she opened her eyes. She pulled away from him, looking around, sighing in relief as she saw the bustling bullpen.

Rick looked at her apologetically. "Kate, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He stood up to face her, but before he could say another word, she took off, saying, "Yeah, you shouldn't have."

He watched as she perused the murder board with her fellow detectives. All through the rest of the day, she seemed to act normal towards him, so all he could do was sigh in relief that she hadn't ignored him completely.

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At the end of the day, before Rick went off to go home, Kate called him, saying, "Hey, Castle, you need a lift?" Rick hesitated before agreeing, but did anyway. "Okay, your apartment is at the other side of town, so that means you want to talk. What's up?" he said as he entered the passenger side of her car.

Kate started the car and said, "Listen, Castle, about what happened earlier, I'm sorry for reacting the way I did. I was shocked and didn't know what to do."

"Hey, you know, that's okay. No harm done."

"And…" Kate continued as they drove out of the parking lot, "as I said earlier, you shouldn't have done that, but despite that, I… I kind of liked it."

Castle sat there in silence, processing what she had just said. After all, it isn't everyday that Kate Beckett would say something like that. So out of sheer happiness, he did something he'd never have done had he been in his right mind.

He kissed her again.

And he liked it, too.

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**_Again, sorry for posting late, but I'll update more since it is the summer. :))_**

**_TGA, out.  
_**


	7. Free To Love

**_BTW, doods, you can still send requests!_**

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1x07 "Home Is Where The Heart Stops"

Beckett smiled as she began to teach Castle the art of shooting. He had fired a shot that strayed from the target. She rolled her eyes and gripped his arms from behind.

"Whoa. Shot too soon." He always had an excuse. _Typical Castle_, she thought.

"Yeah, well, we could always just cuddle, Castle." she said jokingly, flashing him a grin. Castle just stared at her in shock, too bewildered to say a word.

" Yeah, maybe we could." he said slowly, pausing to see how she reacted. She shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe I could just do _this_." she swept her foot towards him and sent him crashing to the floor. Castle grabbed her hand for support and they both dropped, Beckett falling on top of him.

They both paused as they regarded the situation they were in. Castle, who spotted his chance, said, "Nah, I prefer this." And then he kissed her.

Beckett's eyed widened in surprise and she tried to back away, but felt her back touch the wall. She cursed in her mind, but at the same time, felt herself responding to him.

As she kissed him, she felt a happiness that she'd never felt before.

Freedom.

She was free to forget about her dark past, free to just stay there with him, free to be free.

She was free to love again.

* * *

Detective Ryan entered the gun range, hoping to practice a few rounds before the end of the day. As he prepared his gun and put on his gear, he saw a figure on the floor. _Make that two_, he thought. To his surprise, he identified the two figures as Castle and Detective Beckett. _What in the-_

Taking his gear off and putting his gun down, he quietly made his way out of the range and hurried back to the bullpen, where Esposito was waiting.

"Hey, bro, I thought you were gonna go to the range?" he called to his partner.

Ryan shook his head. "Nah, I don't think now is a good time to practice. Maybe another time, when we don't have a case." he plopped down on his chair, turning to Esposito. "Hey, uh, you need any help with that?" he offered.

He grinned inwardly, hoping Esposito wouldn't hear about what he had just witnessed. Yes, he wanted those two to be together, but he didn't want to ruin it for them. After all, those two needed a little bit of privacy.

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**_Reviews are greatly appreciated! :))_**

**_TGA, out  
_**


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